ITGS Overview & Definitions


From the ITGS Course Guide:
The Diploma Programme information technology in a global society (ITGS) course is the study and evaluation of the impact of information technology (IT) on individuals and society. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of the use of digitized information at the local and global level. ITGS provides a framework for you, the student, to make informed judgements and decisions about the use of IT within social contexts.

Students come into contact with IT on a daily basis because it is so pervasive in the world in which we live. This widespread use of IT inevitably raises important questions about social and ethical issues that shape our society today.

For the purpose of the ITGS syllabus the following definitions apply:

Information Technology: is the acquisition, processing, storage, manipulation and dissemination of digital information by computing or telecommunications or a combination of both.

Social Impact: includes the economic, political, cultural, legal, environmental, ergonomic, health and psychological effects of IT on human life.

Ethical Considerations: refer to the responsibility and accountability of those involved in the design, implementation and use of IT.

An Information System: is a collection of people, information technologies, data, methods and policies organized to accomplish specific functions and solve specific problems.